


We Could Be Heroes (Just For One Day)

by nevernevergirl



Series: woke up in a car [4]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-02
Updated: 2014-04-02
Packaged: 2018-01-17 23:19:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1406314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nevernevergirl/pseuds/nevernevergirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A car-picnic in the rain, a swiped cassette tape, and a stolen moment. Neal gives Emma a musical education. Tallahassee era, missing scene.</p>
            </blockquote>





	We Could Be Heroes (Just For One Day)

It was raining like hell outside. These used to be the worst sort of days, when Emma first ran from her last foster home-- she'd have to scramble for a shelter that wouldn't take one look at her shoddy ID and call social services, a public restroom she could wait out the storm in until someone caught her there and kicked her out, or hide out under an awning and hope for the best. But she's got the Bug now, and it's not much, but it's dry.

The company doesn't hurt, either.

Neal had swiped some old cassette tapes from a yard sale before the storm while Emma'd been busy getting, you know. Actual food and sustenance. Well. Cheetos and beef jerky and a case of Natty Lite she'd scored while the delivery guy wasn't looking, but close enough. They'd set up a makeshift picnic in the backseat; Emma set out the provisions on a ratty towel they'd swiped from a motel last week while Neal rifled through the tapes. 

"This is all shit," he muttered, wrinkling his nose. "The fucking  _Carpenters_ , Em, who the hell actually buys that crap?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "You swiped from a couple of baby boomers cleaning out their garage, did you expect anything Rolling Stone approved?"

"I expect people to have better taste," he muttered, petulantly. He cast aside two more tapes before breaking out into a grin that made skin around his eyes crinkle. "Aha! Bingo!"

He scrambled forward, leaning over the front seat to slide the tape into the Bug's ancient cassette player. Emma groaned, pushing his leg out of her face. He shot her another grin, ruffling her hair and earning a scowl for his efforts as he settled back into the back seat. 

"What is it?" she asked, warily.

"Bowie," he said, almost reverently as the opening chords began, stretching out and settling his legs on Emma's lap. "I, I will be king," he sang, loudly and out of tune. "And you, you will be queen," he shot her a shit eating grin. 

She laughed, rolling her eyes and shoving his legs off her lap, leaning over to grab a beer, handing one to him. He took it, wrapping his other hand around her waist, tugging her back down to sit between his legs. She giggled, settling back against his chest and wrapping his arm around her middle.

"Cause we're lovers," he croaked along with the song, warm breath tickling the back of her neck. "And that is a fact," he mumbled, pressing his lips to her neck, grinning. She laughed, tilting her head back for a kiss. He brought a hand up to cup her cheek, his thumb stroking along her jawline absently. He kissed her softly while the rain pounded on the roof of the car hard enough to nearly drown out the song. 

"I've never heard this song before," she mumbled once they broke away, lazily leaning her head back on his shoulder.

"It's  _Bowie_ , Em," he scoffed. 

"I know that one song," she rolled her eyes.

"The one Nirvana covered on MTV," he said knowingly.

"I used to live in Seattle," she said defensively. "And you like Nirvana." He laughed, shaking his head and shifting her up a little to reach for the food. 

"Ah, but I also listen to Not Nirvana. You need a musical education, Miss Swan," he said, firmly. "And you're in luck. Not everyone can be as cultured as me," he grinned through a mouthful of Cheetos. Emma rolled her eyes, taking a swig of her beer, grimacing. 

"Maybe your cultured ass can help me get the beer next time so we're not stuck drinking this."

"Yeah, classy kids spring for Busch," he teased. "Nah, Em, just listen.

She rolled her eyes, leaning back against him and smiling a little, fondly. "I'm listening, Neal."

"S'not his best album, it's no Hunky Dory," he mumbled. "But this song's my favorite of his."

"Tell me why?" she murmured, tilting her head, pressing a kiss to his collarbone. He shrugged.

"We could be heroes, just for one day," he hummed along with the bridge. "That part. That's why. I don't know, I just like the idea of it. The whole song's, like. You can beat what you got, even if it's just for a little while."

She smiled a little, the echoes of sadness ghosting her face. "It's a nice thought."

He frowned a little. "You don't believe all that?"

She sighed, shrugged. "I don't know. Like, love conquers all? I don't know if I can," she said, looking up at him, the honesty between them thick like the air before a thunderstorm. 

"Not conquers all," he said, quietly. "Don't know if I can believe that, either," he sighed, kissing the top of her head, sparing a glance around their cramped little space. "But maybe conquers enough. For awhile. Like, if you get moments, you know? Moments where it doesn't all suck, moments where it's actually good. It's like you won over everything shitty, even it's just for a little while."

She closed her eyes a little, nodding. "Heroes just for one day," she echoed. "Yeah. I like that."

He grinned a little, holding her tightly. They sat like that for a long moment, the rain softer now as the track gave way to the next.

Neal got up suddenly, shifting her up gently. "Oh, hey, I think I saw a Lou Reed tape in that pile somewhere, I want you to listen to Charley's Girl next," he said, grinning. "It's gonna be our song."

Emma rolled her eyes, smiling and grabbing his arm to pull him back. She kissed him, open-mouthed and sloppy. He raised his eyebrows, smiling widely. 

"Okay," she murmured. "If you say so."


End file.
